History of Antiques

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Antique Open Bookcases

First seen in the Georgian period the Antique Open Bookcases are one of those useful pieces of furniture that can house a large book collection, without the hassle of having to open doors to gain quick access, as it is open fronted. You can often see good examples from the Regency period, breakfront in Mahogany, but they are more commonly seen from the Victorian and Edwardian eras in Walnut and Oak timbers. Most have adjustable shelves, using brass buttons, or slatted wood sections enabling you to have the shelves at various heights. They can stand on a simple plain plinth, to splayed bracket feet and come with little details like blind fretwork carvings or inlay around the edges. They are extremely popular pieces of antique furniture and don’t usually hang around due to their smaller size so are easy to fit into any home and surprisingly have a really good storage capacity. Have a look below at our lovely examples available for sale.

Antique Bookcases

Below are some more examples we have previously sold, have a look and let us know if any particular style is what you are looking for and we will see if we can find something similar.

Victorian Arts and Crafts, Walnut Antique Open Bookcase with Mirror, in the style and quality of the renowned cabinet makers Lambs of Manchester with arts and crafts influences. It has a raised shaped back with original bevelled mirror above two mahogany lined drawers with moulded edges and brass handles and is a definite ‘attention seeker’ in a room. It stands on shaped bracket feet has its original back boards.

Golden Oak Antique Open Bookcase, Dating from around 1870 in the Victorian period, is full of charm, character and has small decoratively carved corbels.

Small Arts & Crafts Antique Oak Open Bookcase, Dating from around 1910 with unusual central plaque above four fixed shelves.

Spectacular, ‘Burr’ Pollard Oak, Antique Open Bookcase, constructed from the very rare and extremely attractive pollard oak that has a definite burr walnut look to it.

Victorian Mahogany Antique Open Bookcase with Barley Twist Columns.

This lovely walnut antique open bookcase has wonderful proportions and dates from around 1890 in the Victorian period. It has a rectangular moulded top with beautiful figuring above a deep frieze with moulded edge. The sides are also moulded and flank three open shelves. This antique bookcase stands on shaped bracket feet and has aged to a lovely warm mellow shade of walnut.

Dating from the Victorian period, circa 1890, but having been adapted from an earlier Regency piece this wonderful rosewood antique open bookcase has very desirable proportions. The rectangular top is beautifully figured and sits above three fixed shelves. The sides are also attractively grained and the piece sits on a very simple plinth.

Liberty’s Edwardian Oak Antique Open Bookcase. Coming from Liberty’s, and still retaining part of its original label, this antique oak open bookcase dates from the Edwardian period, circa 1900. The solid oak rectangular top has a moulded lower edge and sits above two adjustable shelves.

Dating from around 1835 this is a fine example of a William IV antique bookcase / sideboard made from rosewood, a rather rare find we are proud of. It has a raised shaped back with moulded detailing along with beautiful figuring and an upper tier supported by elegant barley twist upright supports. The rectangular top is also wonderfully figured and sits above a deep frieze and two magnificently carved quality corbels. The bookcase itself has two adjustable shelves, with moulded rosewood front edges, and it sits on a moulded plinth. The original mahogany back boards, not seen when fronted by books, show signs of age and use but nothing that would not be expected in a piece over 170 years old and in no way detracts from the beauty of the piece.

This unusual antique Victorian open bookcase has an aged paint finish and dates from around 1880. It has a rectangular solid marble black top above two adjustable shelves flanked by elegant barley twist turned pillars.

This Lovely Victorian Oak Antique Open Bookcase circa, 1880 has a beautifully figured top above two adjustable shelves with reeded sides and beautifully carved corbels. It stands on a plain plinth and also benefits from the original backboards. The Oak has aged to a medium shade with a striking grain, good patina, is in very good condition and has been beautifully cleaned using a traditional form of wax finishing.

This Quality Victorian Tall Oak Antique Open Bookcase dates from ca. 1880 and has a beautifully figured top above three adjustable shelves. The sides are moulded with quality hand carved corbels and the bookcase sits on a moulded plinth. The piece has been constructed from a heavy quality solid oak, is in very good condition and has been beautifully cleaned using a traditional form of wax finishing.

Related Reviews

Lyndon Mason,

Fabulous piece of furniture and first rate service from James and not forgetting Chris his excellent courier. We travelled right across the country to buy this cabinet but it was totally worth it. Five stars all round.

Jean Harvey,

This is what furniture is supposed to look like. A great showroom and lovely people to deal with.

Anne,

Hi JamesJust wanted to say a big thank you for the bookcases which arrived safely and promptly this afternoon. They are simply stunning – we are very thrilled with them! A fantastic service end to end. We look forward to keeping an eye on your collections and visiting again.warm regards